The 2016 BMW 650i xDrive Gran Coupe Is The 6 Series To Have

Once you accept the conceit that a 'coupe' is simply a styling concept and not a rigid term that's been co-opted to describe the number of doors grafted on to a given automobile, it becomes much easier to navigate the world of German luxury. The 2016 BMW 650i xDrive Gran Coupe simply has more arms to hold you than the more traditional 6 Series coupe we reviewed earlier this year, and in the world of premium cars, more is always better.

Certainly the Gran Coupe is more practical than its two-door sibling, what with a usable rear seat tucked under its sloping roof that will accommodate adult bodies below a certain height, providing they don't mind the reduced head room dictated by the 650i's designers. From a performance perspective there aren't too many differences either, as the 6 Series Gran Coupe also shares its chassis with the BMW 5 Series.

Heavy and with a longer wheelbase, the 650i xDrive isn't the most nimble handler but it does offer excellent stability at high speeds, and the 445 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque that are produced by its turbocharged 4.4-liter eight-cylinder engine are more than up to the task of making the Gran Coupe feel worthy of its not-insubstantial purchase price.

All-wheel drive definitely plays a role in the confident nature of the vehicle's on-road character, while its eight-speed automatic transmission is a dead ringer for the unit found in the 6 Series coupe.

Which one should you buy? BMW isn't in the habit of trying to force its customers into rigidly-defined product spaces: instead, its line-up largely consists of one platform, five different ways, multiplied by as many different segments as its marketing department can identify. If you adore the torpedo-like shape of the 6 Series coupe but need a real back seat, then the Gran Coupe makes for an appealing option. If you seek the utmost in performance, then the Gran Coupe is also a safe bet as it's the sole inheritor of Alpina's tuning prowess (via the Alpina B6 model) in the line-up.

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Anyone on the fence about 6 Series ownership need not despair. BMW showrooms are filed to the brim 'same, but different options' like the previously-mentioned 5 Series sedan and the smaller four-door 4 Series Gran Coupe. Still, given that rivals such as the Audi S7 and the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class are by turns more practical or ore affordable (the BMW starts at $79,500), it's worth playing the field before deciding on which four-door coupe would look best in your driveway.